Question 1

External users are normally part of a company's task force.

Accepted Answer

External users are not part of a company's task force; they are individuals or entities outside the company, such as customers, suppliers, investors, and regulatory agencies, who use the company's financial information.

Question 2

Normally, a task force for the planning phase of the systems development life cycle (SDLC)includes only representatives from the IT department and the top management.

Accepted Answer

A task force for the planning phase of the SDLC typically includes representatives from various departments, including IT, top management, and end-users or department heads from areas that will be affected by the system, to ensure all perspectives and needs are considered.

Question 3

During the _____ phase of the systems development life cycle (SDLC)model, an information systems designer must define the problem an organization faces, taking care not to define symptoms rather than the underlying problem.

Accepted Answer

During the planning phase of the SDLC, the primary goal is to understand and define the problem the organization is facing. This involves identifying the actual issue rather than just addressing the symptoms, setting the stage for developing a solution in the subsequent phases.

Question 4

In the context of an organization's information system, external users _____.

Accepted Answer

External users of an organization's information system include individuals or entities that are not part of the internal staff, such as customers, contractors, and suppliers. These users interact with the organization's system but do not belong to the organization's internal workforce.

Question 5

Creating a help desk to support users is an important task in the implementation phase of the systems development life cycle (SDLC).

Accepted Answer

The answer of Creating a help desk to support users...

Question 6

The systems development life cycle (SDLC)is also known as the _____.

Accepted Answer

The systems development life cycle (SDLC) is traditionally associated with the waterfall model, which is a sequential (non-iterative) process, where progress is seen as flowing steadily downwards (like a waterfall) through the phases of conception, initiation, analysis, design, construction, testing, deployment, and maintenance.

Question 7

PERT and CPM techniques work by determining the "critical path" for the completion of a series of interrelated activities. If any of the activities along the critical path is delayed, the entire project is delayed.

Accepted Answer

PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) and CPM (Critical Path Method) are project management tools used to plan, schedule, and control complex projects. They identify the critical path, which is the longest sequence of dependent tasks that must be completed on time for the project to meet its deadline. Any delay in the tasks on the critical path directly impacts the project completion time.

Question 8

It is important to project an organization's growth rate when designing information systems.

Accepted Answer

Projecting an organization's growth rate is crucial when designing information systems to ensure scalability and adaptability to future needs and expansions.

Question 9

Including users and top management in the construction phase of a prototype is essential because some problems that crop up during construction can be solved only by users or top management.

Accepted Answer

Involving users and top management during the construction phase ensures that their insights and requirements are considered, which can help address specific issues that arise and ensure the prototype meets their needs.

Question 10

Service-oriented architecture (SOA)advocates that core business functions and the dynamic functions that change all the time should be decoupled.

Accepted Answer

SOA promotes the idea of breaking down business processes into individual services that can be independently developed, maintained, and updated, allowing for the decoupling of core, stable business functions from more dynamic, changing functions. This approach enhances flexibility and adaptability in business operations.

Question 11

The systems development life cycle (SDLC)model is appropriate in situations when the problem under investigation is not well defined.

Accepted Answer

The SDLC model is best suited for projects with well-defined requirements and objectives, as it relies on a structured and sequential approach to software development.

Question 12

Information system projects are often an extension of existing systems or involve replacing an old technology with a new one.

Accepted Answer

Many information system projects are designed to either extend the capabilities of existing systems or replace outdated technologies with newer, more efficient ones to improve business processes and productivity.

Question 13

_____ are employees who will use an information system regularly and can offer important feedback on the system's strengths and weaknesses.

Accepted Answer

Internal users are those within an organization who regularly interact with its information systems, making them well-placed to provide valuable insights into the system's performance and areas for improvement.

Question 14

The object-oriented approach combines process and data analysis, and the line between analysis and design is so thin that analysis and design seem to be a single phase instead of two distinct phases.

Accepted Answer

In the object-oriented approach, both process (how things are done) and data (what is being processed) are encapsulated together into objects. This integration makes the transition from analysis (understanding requirements) to design (how requirements are implemented) very seamless, often making these phases appear as a continuous process rather than two separate stages.

Question 15

One of the advantages of prototyping is that modifying a prototype is easier than modifying a complete system.

Accepted Answer

Prototyping allows for easier and less costly modifications early in the development process, compared to making changes after a complete system has been developed.

Question 16

During the planning phase of the systems development life cycle (SDLC), a systems designer must define the symptoms before the underlying problem that an organization might be facing.

Accepted Answer

During the planning phase of the SDLC, the primary goal is to identify and define the problem an organization is facing before determining its symptoms. This ensures that solutions address the root cause rather than just the manifestations of the problem.

Question 17

The creation of a system specifications document indicates the beginning of the analysis phase of the systems development life cycle (SDLC).

Accepted Answer

The creation of a system specifications document actually marks the beginning of the design phase of the SDLC, not the analysis phase. The analysis phase focuses on understanding and documenting the business needs and requirements.

Question 18

In pilot conversion, an analyst introduces an information system in only a limited area of an organization.

Accepted Answer

In pilot conversion, the new information system is implemented in a small part of the organization to test its performance before full-scale implementation.

Question 19

Establishing evaluation criteria causes excessive subjectivity during the systems development life cycle (SDLC)process.

Accepted Answer

Establishing evaluation criteria actually helps in making the SDLC process more objective by setting clear, measurable goals and standards for the system's performance, functionality, and usability, which can guide development and assessment efforts.

Question 20

In the context of the planning phase of the systems development life cycle (SDLC), which is an example of an externally identified problem?

Accepted Answer

Suppliers noting inefficiency in the inventory control procedure is an example of an externally identified problem because it comes from outside the organization, indicating an issue with how the organization interacts with external entities.

Quiz 10: Building Successful Information Systems